Adora Magic City, China's first domestically built cruise ship, completes its first voyage in Qingdao and returns to its cruise home port in Qingdao on April 10. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Adora Magic City, China's first domestically built cruise ship, completed its first voyage in Qingdao and returned to its cruise home port in the city on April 10, carrying over 4,000 passengers.

"My experience aboard the ship was fantastic, thumbs up for this domestically produced large cruise ship," said passenger Yao Shouqin.

On the day of its return, the cruise ship set sail again, embarking on a new journey with over 5,000 passengers. Additionally, Qingdao's cruise home port saw a record-breaking day with over 11,000 inbound and outbound passengers, the highest since its opening in 2015.

Adora Magic City visited tourist destinations such as Fukuoka in Japan and Jeju in South Korea on its maiden voyage. This marked the cruise ship's first time operating outside of Shanghai.

"We are very optimistic about the growth potential of Qingdao and its surrounding markets," said Li Ming, chairman of Adora Cruises Ltd, operator of the cruise ship.

Since its maiden voyage in Shanghai on Jan 1, 2024, the Adora Magic City has operated 108 commercial voyages, serving over 370,000 domestic and international tourists.

To ensure its smooth return after its maiden voyage, Qingdao Customs introduced an innovative smart clearance model.

"This model is two hours quicker than traditional boarding quarantine procedures and significantly enhances passenger clearance efficiency," explained Kong Lingqiang, an official at Qingdao Customs.